Authoritarianism within party structures is recognized as a central feature of all political parties in Turkey but used in a taken-for-granted manner. This article highlights the necessity to examine the power relationship between the central and local party actors and argues that the different incentive structures within political parties lead to different types of party authoritarianism. Comparing the incentive structures of the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the article concludes that the CHP is close to an oligarchic type of authoritarianism whereas the AKP is close to a hegemonic type of authoritarianism. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.